Practical
Plants

Solanum sisymbriifolium

Sticky Nightshade · Litchi Tomato · Morelle De Balbis

a perennial member of the Solanum genus in the family Solanaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Solanum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where many if not all the members have poisonous leaves and sometimes also the unripe fruits.

Edible uses

Fruit[2]. The fruit is up to 2cm in diameter[3].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
S. America - Brazil.
Habitat
Naturalised in South-eastern N. America where it grows near sea ports in waste places and on ballast[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils[1]. Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain, though they can be grown as spring-sown annuals. In milder almost frost-free climates they are perennial[3].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  4. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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